Motorhome class

[Alanf1]

My Chausson is plated as 3850kg gvw but which class does this fall under?

 

The reason for asking is I'm trying to obtain a clean air designation for driving in certain French cities.

 

The choices are:

 

Private cars (M1)

Light commercial vehicles (N1)

Heavy goods vehicles, buses or coaches (M2, M3, N2 or N3)

 

The MH is taxed as private HGV.

Field J is blank on the V5C

[lancepar]

Just send the forms etc the Web site asks for................They will decide what caterory you need and will send the appropriate one,

 

Unless it's changed I don't think one gets to chose.

 

B-)

[Deneb]

A motor caravan of any weight is an M1 class vehicle, provided that it has no more than eight seats, in addition to the driver's seat.

[Alanf1]

Thanks, it appears you now have to declare in the form the vehicle category, so I'l put this down as M1 and see how that goes

[Derek Uzzell]

As far as I can see, when you fill in the application form, you can’t enter “M1”.

 

For the Vehicle Category entry on the application form, select “Private Cars”.

[Alanf1]

I've just done it and as you say Derek, I entered 'private cars' which probably equates to M1 anyway.

Thanks for all you advice/help.

[Steve Drew]

Under 3500kg private car M1 , over 3500 kg light commercial N1.

[Deneb]

Steve Drew - 2018-05-30 3:46 PM

 

Under 3500kg private car M1 , over 3500 kg light commercial N1.

 

No. A vehicle over 3500kgs "revenue weight" may have started out as a goods vehicle (constructed or adapted for the carriage of goods) but if it has been modified to meet the following definition, it is classed under 2007/46/EC as a "Motor Caravan":

 

5.1. "Motor caravan" means a special purpose M category vehicle constructed to include living accommodation which contains at least the following equipment:

- seats and table,

- sleeping accommodation which may be converted from the seats,

- cooking facilities, and

- storage facilities.

This equipment shall be rigidly fixed to the living compartment; however, the table may be designed to be easily removable.

 

Motor Caravans are classified under EC regs as "Special Purpose Category M" vehicles on the basis that they "perform a special function for which special body arrangements and/or equipment are necessary".

 

So EC Regs define a motor caravan as a special type of category M vehicle, as long as it meets the definition under 5.1 above.

 

Category M vehicles are further subdivided according to their maximum mass and number of seats. Vehicles having more than eight seats excluding the driver are either category M2 or M3 depending on whether they are up to or over 5 tonnes MAM.

 

Vehicles having no more than eight seats excluding the driver are category M1 irrespective of their MAM.

 

So any vehicle which meets the definition of a motor caravan and has no more than eight seats excluding the driver, is category M1 irrespective of its MAM.

 

The fact that a motor caravan over 3500kgs MAM is taxed as PHGV is of no consequence to that definition. PHGV in the case of a motor caravan does not signify that it is a private heavy goods vehicle, any more than a motor caravan under or up to 3500kgs taxed as PLG is deemed to be a light goods vehicle. The PLG and PHGV tax classes in the case of motor caravans are simply used as "catch all" taxation classes for vehicles having revenue weights up to or over 3500kgs, and which do not fit in any other classes under the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act.

 

In any case, the definition of a category N1 vehicle is "a vehicle designed and constructed for the carriage of goods and having a maximum mass not exceeding 3.5 tonnes", so a goods vehicle having a MAM over 3.5 tonnes cannot be category N1 either!

[Derek Uzzell]

As Deneb said in his first posting above "A motor caravan of any weight is an M1 class vehicle, provided that it has no more than eight seats, in addition to the driver's seat.”

 

Normally, then, a motorhome (ie. a vehicle that the UK’s DVLA has accepted as complying with their technical-specification requirements and has “Motor Caravan” as the Body Type on its V5C registration document and is registered in either the Private/Light Goods or Private HGV taxation class) should be ‘Vehicle Typed’ as “Private cars (Class M1)" when applying for a Crit’Air sticker.

 

In a case where a motorhome (almost certainly a panel-van conversion) does not have “Motor Caravan” as the Body Type on its V5C registration document and is not registered in either the Private/Light Goods or Private HGV taxation class but in one of the DVLA’s Light Goods Vehicles taxation classes, that motorhome should be ‘Vehicle Typed’ as “Light commercial vehicles (Class N1)" when applying for a Crit’Air sticker.

 

However, as the Crit’Air Date of First Registration criteria are the same for the “Private cars (Class M1)” and “Light commercial vehicles (Class N1)” vehicle types, it shouldn’t really matter which of those two descriptors is chosen as the same ‘sticker number’ should be awarded.

 

In France a light commercial vehicle (véhicule utilitaire léger) is designed to transport goods, has a maximum authorised overall weight not exceeding 3500kg and has the “N1” category shown on its French registration document. When a French-registered commercial vehicle’s maximum authorised overall weight is greater than 3500kg it is categorised as a heavy commercial vehicle (véhicule utilitaire poids lourd) and there’s a different set of Crit’Air Date of First Registration criteria for ‘heavy’ goods vehicles including buses and coaches.

[Steve Drew]

I can only base my comments on registering 2 coachbuilt motorhomes for the Crit air sticker both were sent with a copy of the V5 and the M1 category ticked both received the certificate within 2 days and the sticker as soon as the postman delivered.

[Derek Uzzell]

There is advice relating to motorhome classification on this UNOFFICIAL Crit’Air website

 

https://www.crit-air.fr/en/information-about-the-critair-vignette/the-french-vignette-critair/who-will-get-which-critair-colours.html

 

It says

 

"Indication about the classification of motor homes

Motor homes with a total weight up to 3, 5 tons are classified as cars.

Motor homes with a total weight of 3,5 tons or more are classified as trucks.”

 

That advice is wrong.

 

Irrespective of the vehicle’s weight data, any UK-registered vehicle described as a “Motor Caravan” on its V5C document and registered in the Private/Light Goods Vehicles or Private HGV taxation classes should fall into the “Private cars (Class M1)” category when applying for a French emissions sticker.

[Alanf1]

I'm awaiting the relevant response through the post, so when it comes through I can update with the definitive details.

[Alanf1]

I've received e-mail confirmation that the class is 3. It must mean that the M1 (Private car) classification is correct as I've not been asked to amend the categories on the application.